Understanding the causes and types of brain stroke 

Dr.Madhukar Bhardwaj, 4 mins read

What is a brain stroke?

A brain stroke or stroke takes place if a blood vessel within the brain is damaged and begins to bleed, and another brain stroke cause is when the blood supply to the brain is blocked. Any rupture or blockage will prevent blood and oxygen from getting to the brain’s tissues, which causes brain cells to die, in a matter of minutes. 

Anybody can suffer a stroke, and early intervention is critical for successful brain stroke treatment, which makes it all the more important for people to understand and recognize brain stroke symptoms if and when they occur. Read on to learn more about stroke, brain stroke types, and what you can do to reduce the risk of getting a stroke. 

Brain Stroke symptoms:-

When there is a loss of blood and oxygen flowing into the brain, tissues begin to get damaged within the brain and stroke symptoms appear in those parts of the body that are controlled by the damaged areas of the brain. For example, if brain tissues that protect the nerves responsible for moving the arms, get damaged, a person will lose the ability to move their arms. The sooner a person having a stroke gets treatment, the greater their odds of survival. We cannot stress how important it is for everyone to know the basic symptoms of stroke to respond as best and as early as possible. Brain stroke symptoms include numbness or weakness in the arms, face, legs, and especially on one side of the body, trouble speaking, difficulty understanding what others are saying, slurred speech, paralysis, feeling disoriented, lack of responsiveness, extreme and sudden agitation or behavioral changes, difficulty seeing in one or both eyes with vision getting blacked out gradually blurred, or double vision. There is also loss of balance and coordination while walking or standing, severe and sudden headaches, seizures, nausea, and vomiting.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you believe you or someone is having a stroke, call an ambulance right away and get to. a hospital that has the facilities to treat stroke. Early intervention and treatment are critical for preventing brain damage, disability, and death. 

One can never be too cautious when it comes down to dealing with a stroke, so don’t hesitate for one second before getting emergency help even if you’re not sure but suspect you’re seeing the signs of a brain stroke.

When to call for help

Call an ambulance right away if you can or ask someone nearby to get one for you, an emergency number for ambulances is usually stored on your mobile so you can keep that at hand or search up prompt and competitive ambulance services around your area, save their number, in case the need ever arises. Even if the symptoms of a stroke seem to come and go or they disappear completely and don’t return, do not hesitate, act immediately. If you think someone is having a stroke, ask them to smile and see if one side of their face droops, ask them to raise their arms and see if they’re unable to, and ask them to repeat some words after you and see if they’re slurring. If any of these signs appear; call for emergency medical help at once.

Brain stroke causes:

What causes a brain stroke will depend on the type of stroke a person is having, of which there are three types, namely a transient ischemic attack (TIA), an ischemic stroke, or a hemorrhagic stroke. 

These categories can be further broken down into embolic stroke, thrombotic stroke, intracerebral stroke, and subarachnoid stroke

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Simply called a TIA or ministroke, happens when blood flow to the brain gets temporarily blocked. The symptoms resemble those of a full stroke but are invariably temporary and abate in a matter of minutes or hours, as and when the blockage clears out and blood flow is restored.

Blood clots are mostly behind TIAs and while they’re not deemed to be full strokes, TIAs are a major warning sign of an actual stroke in the future. You’ll agree, it’s advisable not to ignore it and get treatment immediately. 

Ischemic stroke

In this type of brain stroke, the arteries that supply blood to the brain either narrow down or get blocked due to clots or highly reduced blow flow to the brain. Sometimes, fragments of plaque break away and block blood vessels, which can also cause a stroke.

There are two kinds of blockages- cerebral embolism and cerebral thrombosis, that may lead to ischemic stroke. A cerebral embolism or embolic stroke happens when a blood clot that has formed in some other part of the body, usually the heart or arteries in the upper chest and neck, and travels through the bloodstream until it reaches an artery that is too narrow for it to pass through, which eventually stops the blood from flowing through, causing a stroke.

Last, cerebral thrombosis, or thrombotic stroke, happens if a blood clot develops at the fatty plaque inside the blood vessel.

Hemorrhagic stroke

These occur if an artery in the brain breaks or leaks out blood, which will create a lot of pressure on the skull and swell the brain, damaging brain cells and tissues. 

There are two kinds, an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke, the most common type, occurs when the tissues that cover the brain fill 

up with blood as a result of an artery bursting, while a subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke, though far less common, causes bleeding in the area that comes between the brain and the tissues that cover it.

Also, Read: Headache: Could It Be a Brain Tumor?